Manufacture of an impermeable mass.



N0. 841,875. 7 PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907.

E; KOLBASSIEFF.

A MANUFACTURE OF AN IMPERMEABLE MASS APPLICATION 211.111) AUG. 31, 1905.

Q c Z17 E e h- III===== m w I I i Y vymm WNW @M Wage/P A UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE-l2.

MANUFACTURE OF Specification of Letters.IPatent. 2' Application filed August 31. 1905. Serial No. 273351;

AN IMPERMEA'B'LEV'MASSL Patented 1. 22,1907. j

To' all whom it may concern! I Be it known that I, EUGENE KOLBASSIEFF, a subject of the Emperorof Russia, and. a resident of St. Petersburg, Russia, have invented eenani'new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture ofan Impermeable Mass,

' "of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing impermeable blocks made from cork and other material, the object of the invention being to preserve the lightness of the original material. Such blocks may be used, for instance, in the construction of coffer-dams and other structures exposed to or under the level of water. The new method consists in first immersing each piece of cork in a material or cement which is capable of coating it. The cork is then gradually coate'd'by dipping it with two or three coats of such material, which must have the required properties of im ermeability, care being taken that all airubbles are mechanically removed. As soon as a layer of cement or other coating material of sufiicient thickness has been obtained two plates of cork thus prepared are cemented to gether and a block of small specific gravity thus obtained. By again cementing or coating further pieces or plates a block of any desired shape and size may be obtained, which block is placed in a case of suitable size, and:

blocks; and Fig. 6 shows a block made of a number of sections, as shown in" Fig.5, the

sections having been coated again.

Thin sheets of cork are first united together by means of ordinary glue, so as to form a sufiiciently strong plate a having a thickness of twenty or thirty centimeters. These plates a are then immersed in molten colo- 5o phony mixed with small amounts of parafiln and Syrian asphaltum, the most essential substance being "colophony, asphaltum and paraffin being less important. he unpregnated mass becomes hardylike wood.

The addition of asphaltum causesthe hardbecomes softer.

tile gases.

with the composition. The plate is left in ness and brittleness of the mass to increase, at the same time increasing also the temperature of fusion. Astheasphaltum, however, prevents the colophony from penetrating into the interior of the mass, it is-not desirable to use a large amount of asphaltum. Paraffin exerts a different action on colophony, as in the presenceof high temperatures the particles of colophony'are rendered more movable by the paraflin and the mass The combination of colophony, paraflimand asphaltum gives, properly speaking, the same results as pure colophony, though said mixture renders the composition less hygroscopic than if using colo phony alone. The principal substance, however, for impregnating the cork mass is colophony, as it is hard and does not contain vola- The cork plate is immersed in said composition at a temperature 019100 to 200 centigrade, it being advisableto choose the higher temperature, as in doing so the smaller cavities or pores of the cork mass are filled in the composition from five to ten seconds. it remains there a longer periodof time and the impregnation is a fuller one, the specific;

gravity of the late will increase, which is not desirable in general. As soon as the first layer of the cork mass becomes hard the entire plate is immersed a second time into the composition, also d ten seconds. After the composition is hardened it is ironed by aid of a hot smooth iron, and all air-bulbs are removed fromthe s un face. In case of the composition-not having been laid on evenly or smoothly after the sec-- ond' dipping the cork plate is dipped a third from five to time, and-sometimes the dipping is-further repeated until a coat of sufiicient thickness is obtained. Onl after the layer c of the composition is su ciently thick its surface is coated with oil or fat,-which is rubbed into the cavities or pores of the composition. When the layer of compositionis already prepared, a sheet of paper?) .or a-thin sheet of wood is put thereupon, and then it is ironed bya smooth'iron. The paper in suckingfr the .surfaceof the composition theaoil and fat strongly adheres to thecomposition and becomes impermeable. Thus is produced awhole series of. cork'plates which are cemented by the "same composition andFunited to form a block, as seen in Fig.2. Itin'a prove necessary-to a-sifiallamount of. g, ed

IIO

oil or fat or other liquid hydrocarbons not containing volatile parts in order to decrease the brittleness.

I It must be observed that carbonaceous 5 and vegetable resins, with the exception of asphaltum and colophony, will not do, so that the addition of such substances to the colophony will not be an improvement of the process. Several plates after they have been [0 united together by said composition may be cut by a saw into smaller blocks, as shown in Fig. 3. The latter are dipped again in the same composition as formerly the plates, after which in the described manner the layers of composition are superposed and paper or ;wood is put thereon. The single blocks are then united again to form a new block, as seen from Fi 4. The cemented cork block is cut in di erentperpendicular directions, being impregnated with the composition and .coated with paper, as described. The soprepared cork block consists, so to speak, of a seriesof small cork blocks separated from each other by a layer of paper and alayer of z 5 colophony, with the addition of other substances. The layers of colophony that have rendered the cork surface hard, like wood, make also the entirecork block rather resistant to external pressure and at the same time 0 13%? single cork blocks or sections imperme- The cork blocks or sections are placed in iron cases in such a manner that the spaces between the cork and the case are not greater 3 5 than two millimeters, whereafter the case is filled with the composition, beginning from the lower sections or blocks and then coming 'to the upper, whereby the entire block is coated. When effecting such filling in, at- 40 tention must be paid to the following:' Under the action of the high temperature the iron is heated and is bent, so that the compositionenters in greater quantity than desired. After the coolin the iron will press the cork.

4 5 Therefore it will be necessary when filling in to place a sufficiently heavy weight above the cork block so that the cork shall not be allowed to move from its place. The composition used for filling in is again colophony, 50. but mixed with oil, fat, and paraffin. The

. -.1no st suitable proportions will be as follows;

, twentyi parts of colophony, one part of fat,

(I onepartof linseed-oil, and two parts of parafiinwaA small amount of asphaltum may 5-5 also be added, though it is practically immaterial. If the amount of parafiin is increased, the composition becomes more adhesive or sticky, more amorphous, and more impermeable, while the linseed-oil and the fat, while not destroying the stickiness of the composition, render it softer. It is, however, not advisable to use a composition which proves to be too soft, as in sucha case the layers between the cork plates become also softer and the cork mass will not be able to stand the 6 external pressure. The admixture of carbonaceous and vegetable resins is rather injurious, most of them containing a considerable amount of volatile gases.

I may mention that the cork plates may be replaced by plates prepared from 'woodfor instance, of the aloe group and others showing a small specific gravity.

claim as my invention- 1. An impermeable mass composed of cork 7 5 plates, cemented together from thin cork sheets and coated with layers-of a composition made of molten colophony at 100 to 200 centigrade, and a small amount of asphaltum and paraffin, and of ordinary paper impregnated with the said composition and fat and placed on the said cork plates.

2. An impermeable mass composed of thick cork plates cemented from thin cork sheets and coated with layers of a composition made 8 5 of molten colophony at to 200 centigrade, and a small amount of asphaltum and paraffin, fat being rubbed in the said layers, and of ordinary paper placed on the cork plates and impregnated with the composi- 'tion and fat being rubbed inthe cork plates,

the aforesaid composition being mixed with liquid hydrocarbons containing no volatile parts for cementing the cork plates to ether.

3. A method of manufacturing t e im- 9 5 proved impermeable mass from cork consisting in uniting together thin cork sheets by means of glue, dipping said united cork, sheets for five or ten seconds in a bath made of molten colophon at 100 to 200 centigrade and of a smal amount of as haltum and paraffin, then rubbing fat in the ayers of the composition,-placing sheets of ordinary paper on the thus-treated cork plates, cementing several cork plates together by means of the aforesaid composition with the addition of a small amount of linseed-oil, cutting them intosections, coating the said sections, arranging them in cases and. filling them in with a composition consisting of colophony, fat, linseed-oil and paraffin.

.In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE KOLBASSIEFF. Witnesses:

N. D. FOMEIN, N. TSCHENALOFF. 

